Breaking the stereotypes: The wave of change is imminent

It is a common stigma that bowlers cannot be good captains. Looking back in time, we rarely hear stories of successful bowling captains. Since the game's inception, batters have always donned the role of leaders and superstars. 

The thought process dates back to the Victorian era, where most pace bowlers in British teams were black, and only white players were chosen as captains. 

Even West Indies had to endure a long fight against this discrimination before they appointed Frank Worrell as the first permanent black captain. This bigotry has been diluted over the years but remains.

Even though the sport has evolved into a batter's game, a few stood out and broke the stereotype. 

Let's have a look at a few of them...

Shaun Pollock: One of the best cricketers from the rainbow nation, Polly is the 3rd most successful South African skipper after Graeme Smith and Hansie Cronje. 

Being an impact player with the ball and bat, he was responsible for leading the squad during a challenging period. The bowling all-rounder successfully brought back stability into the team with consistent performances. 

The stats speak for themselves, with a win percentage of 53.84 in Tests and 66.48 in ODIs as captain. Even after his captaincy reign, he was an integral part of the team, spearheading the bowling attack.

Wasim Akram: When a captain leads an unsettled squad and guides them to a World Cup final, he deserves a lot of praise. 

Wasim Akram's stats as skipper is unfortunately overlooked, but he led his team to 78 wins from 134 matches. He successfully took the reins from Pakistan's best-ever captain and all-rounder, Imran Khan. 

His tenure as captain came in 3 stages due to internal disputes and varied management interests. Wasim Akram as a bowler was given more importance than Wasim Akam as a captain. His partnership with Waqar Younis created one of the most lethal pace bowling duos in cricketing history. 

Daniel Vettori: He was the youngest test player for New Zealand, debuting at the age of 18. The left-arm orthodox bowler had a simple action with subtle variations that most batters found hard to take. 

He was known for his stump-to-stump bowling and the ability to stifle the opposition. He was entrusted with the captaincy as successor to Steven Fleming. 

He overlooked a squad going through a challenging transition phase but still managed to perform. He was a thinking bowler, and that attribute would have undoubtedly helped him become a better captain.

Mashrafe Mortaza: His name might come as a surprise on this list, but his impact on the international arena is immense. As a bowler and captain, Mortaza played an integral part in moulding his national side. 

Bangladesh, under his captaincy, flourished and reached heights - once deemed impossible. 

It was his era that set the benchmark for Bangladeshi cricket. He led the squad to many milestones, such as their first ever overseas Test win, the quarter-finals of the 2015 World cup in Australia and New Zealand and commendable performances against top sides like Pakistan, India and New Zealand. 

They also entered the semifinals of the ICC Champions trophy 2017. If it wasn't for his injuries, he could have had an extended career and created a long legacy.

Shane Warne: The winner of the first ever IPL trophy, the Spin King proved that bowlers could also be great captains. Under Shane Warne's captaincy, Rajasthan Royals became champions of the inaugural season in 2008. 

Despite being one of the best bowlers the world has ever seen, he didn't get much opportunity to lead the national side. 

Nevertheless, he led the Aussies in 11 ODIs and won 10. With players like Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke, Australia had many options for captaincy through the years and rarely had to look up to Warne as an option. But he will still be remembered as one of the sharpest minds the game has ever seen.            

More names are sure to be added to this list. Conventional thoughts are making way for a more modern approach. Last year, Test bowler Pat Cummins became Australia's 47th Test captain and only the second specialist fast bowler, after Ray Lindwall to command the title. 

Jasprit Bumrah will likely be India's captain for the stand-alone Test against England. It will be a historical event as India haven't had a pace bowling captain since the days of Anil Kumble. 

Even though he would be a stand-in captain, the wave of change is imminent. Bumrah will have to face tests of his own, as there is a lot to prove. England will feel rejuvenated under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum and will want to continue in their winning run. 

After beating the defending World Test champions 3-0, the Three Lions will be full of confidence. Currently, England will have the edge over India, but the margin for error is slender. 

It will be a baptism of fire for Bumrah if the responsibility of captaincy falls to him. Let's see whether he can live up to the moment.